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Brilliant way to grow a garden

April 3, 2018

I am definitely on a Spring kick over here on the blog! Today we chat about how to add fresh flowers and easy plant babies to your garden space even if it is tiny! As you may recall, in our tiny office loft, we were forced to use vertical space. Welp, same goes for outdoor […]

I am definitely on a Spring kick over here on the blog!

spring garden planters the sill

Today we chat about how to add fresh flowers and easy plant babies to your garden space even if it is tiny!

ikea vertical ladder planters

As you may recall, in our tiny office loft, we were forced to use vertical space. Welp, same goes for outdoor areas. If you live in an apartment or have a tiny patio/balcony, lean in and read on!

And if you have a average or large size yard, this addition is sure to get you grabbing your garden gloves too!

Tiny Space Gardening

Last weekend, I was on the hunt to show you creative ways to step up your Spring garden. I’ve seen IKEA’s expanding outdoor furniture line and wondered what they had up their sleeves for gardening. I’m so glad I did!

ikea scandinavian garden

Image Credit: IKEA

Just take in all the pretty greenery stacked perfectly together. This shows us exactly what interior designers set out to do with each and every space. Layer, textures and depth.

Placing different plants high, low, in front, behind. Add books, a vintage wooden chair and rustic wood flooring. Well, this is a true scandinavian garden. Someday I would love to transform my outdoor space like this.

IKEA Satsuma Planters

I chose the Satsuma Ladder with 5 pots for a couple reasons:

ikea satsuma ladder planter

Image Credit: IKEA

  1. My yard only has side planters with actual dirt. So this ladder was perfect to lean against a fence.
  2. I loved that I could switch out plants and flowers seasonally with 5 pots in varying heights.

And that is exactly what I did!

ikea satsuma ladder planter

What do you think? I was extremely pleased. I have two Clematis vines just beginning to sprout and grow. Once these fill in, this side of the yard will be brimming with spring-y vibes.

Easy Care Plants

spring tulip Ikea satsuma ladder

ikea satsuma ladder spring flower tulips

The tulips and The Sill Aloe Hedgehog complement each other so well! Tulips are seriously all the rage with florists lately. For good reason, they are vibrant and happy!

The Aloe hedgehog is a super easy plant to care for. My yard offers an abundance of indirect bright sunlight. Exactly what it loves. It also only needs to be watered once every 2-3 weeks! It thrives in the desert. Perfect for our climate here in California.

ikea satsuma ladder tulips the sill

Another famously easy to care for plant baby is the Zamioculcas zamiifolia, or nicknamed ZZ. It has these potato shaped underground stem (rhizomes) that store water. It doesn’t mind any humidity so all climates welcome this plant.

Typically it likes low light so if you have a dark corner that needs some greenery, voilá,  the ZZ plant is it! Watering every 2-3 weeks when the soil is very dry will do.

Container Gardening

Generally, container gardening uses larger pots filled with different plants and seasonal flowers. For tiny spaces, I recommend using small pots of different heights and textures. This way you can move things around freely.

garden pots

So first things first, start with different pots as show above. Placing them all on a tray or table or bench is a great idea!

Circling back to the IKEA Satsuma Planters, these additional two are perfect for my version of container gardening.

ikea planter

ikea planter

Aren’t they pretty already?

If you have some odd and ends pots just waiting to be re-discovered from your garage or yard, now is the time to re-pot and style your patio!

Potting your plants

the sill planters

Speaking of potting soil, I am in love with the 32 oz bags of quality potting soil by The Sill! So, so easy to store and use. The ziplock zipper keeps it fresh.

I am the Accidental Plant lady, so I am constantly learning new things. I did not know lava rocks are essential to put on the bottom of pots so it helps with drainage.

potting lava rocks

planters plants

As you can clearly see above, the variety of pots, colors, flower and plants make for a beautiful garden scene. It only takes a corner of a table’s space. See how easy it is to create your own spring garden?

More easy care plants

peperomia ikea planter

Before I leave you running to the garden store getting supplies and soil, I wanted to share two more easy care plants for your consideration.

Peperomia Marble is one of my favorites because anything with variegated leaves makes me so happy! The most uncomplicated way to style a table or shelf is a variegated plant. The leaves do all the talking. Figuratively of course. Well, I talk to my plants. If yours actually talk back to you, let me know. I need them to interpret what mine are saying.

world market pot succulent

Introducing the Haworthia Zebra. The zebra like stripes almost look 3D against the bright green stems. It needs indirect sun and only watering once every 2-3 weeks.

To the left in the blush pot is the Birds Nest Fern. I adore these cute babies. They tolerate very low light and needs watering 1-2 weeks.

Moisture is okay with these guys too.

zz plant the sill

I can’t wait for these babies to grow bigger and bigger! What a proud plant mama I will be.

Have you dared to start your own garden inside or out? I hope these ideas today motivate you to adopt one or two plant babies yourself! And more importantly, don’t let tiny outdoor space deter you from creating a garden oasis for Spring.

Happy day!

PS I rounded up some abfab planters here too. Take a look!

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  1. Lexie says:

    The ladder says it’s for indoor use. Did you find that this worked well outdoor? Wondering because I’d love to have it on my patio!

    • Anita Yokota says:

      that is a great question! I am not sure. It is powder-coated but I think it’s best to stay indoors.

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